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GIGO, for garbage-in, garbage-out is a basic principle of computing and/or decision-making which holds that the validity or integrity of the input will determine the validity or integrity of the output. Which is why first-year computer students are taught to check and recheck their input data and assumptions. It is not unreasonable, therefor to expect the same of seasoned scientists with multiple letters after their names, utilizing some of the most sophisticated and expensive computers and operating out of prestigious universities and laboratories. Especially when taxpayers are underwriting their work and the studies produced by their computer models are the basis for far-reaching public policies that will dramatically impact those taxpayers, as well as all of society.
However, when it comes to the theory of anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming, or AGW, the GIGO principle appears to be the norm. The so-called mainstream media (MSM) never seem to tire of headlining scary scenarios of climate catastrophe brought on by AGW, based on the latest projections generated by computer modeling of atmospheric temperatures, ocean temperatures, sea levels, glaciers, rain fall, extreme storms, etc. The same media organs, however, rarely report on the many scientific studies that regularly debunk the schlocky — and often outright fraudulent — computer models.
The Hockey Schtick blogspot reported on December 10 that a new paper published in the Journal of Climate finds there has been "little to no improvement" in simulating clouds by state-of-the-art climate models. The authors note the "poor performance of current global climate models in simulating realistic [clouds]," and that the models show "quite large biases ... as well as a remarkable degree of variation" with the differences between models remaining "large."
This is no small matter, as leading climate scientists have for years been pointing out that failure to account for cloud mediation in the complex interplay of climatic factors is a major flaw in climate models. (See here and here.)
As Dr. Roy Spencer points out in his new book, The Great Global Warming Blunder: How Mother Nature Fooled the World's Top Climate Scientists,
The most obvious way for warming to be caused naturally is for small, natural fluctuations in the circulation patterns of the atmosphere and ocean to result in a 1% or 2% decrease in global cloud cover. Clouds are the Earth's sunshade, and if cloud cover changes for any reason, you have global warming — or global cooling.
Dr. Spencer, a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, is himself one of the world's top climate scientists. A former senior scientist for Climate Studies at NASA, he is co-developer of the original satellite method for precise monitoring of global temperatures from Earth-orbiting satellites. He has provided congressional testimony several times on the subject of global warming and authored the 2008 New York Times bestseller Climate Confusion.
Hockey Schtick points out that the latest Journal of Climate paper "is one of many that demonstrate current climate models do not even approach the level of accuracy [within one to two percent] or 'consensus' required to properly model global cloud cover, and therefore cannot be used as 'proof' of anthropogenic global warming, nor relied upon for future projections."
GWGIGWGO: Global-warming Garbage In, Global-warming Garbage Out
Hockey Schtick on December 10 also reported:
A paper published today in Geophysical Research Letters examines surface air temperature trends in the Eurasian Arctic region and finds "only 17 out of the 109 considered stations have trends which cannot be explained as arising from intrinsic [natural] climate fluctuations" and that "Out of those 17, only one station exhibits a warming trend which is significant against all three null models [models of natural climate change without human forcing]." Climate alarmists claim that the Arctic is "the canary in the coal mine" and should show the strongest evidence of a human fingerprint on climate change, yet these observations in the Arctic show that only 1 out of 109 weather stations showed a warming trend that was not explained by the natural variations in the 3 null climate models.
Additional studies demonstrating the failures and false predictions of climate computer models can be found on the Hockey Schtick blogspot here.
Meanwhile, in a December 7 post on his WattsUpWithThat (WUWT) climate blog, Anthony Watts reported on a new study that shows climate models still struggle with medium-term climate forecasts. He asked: "How cold will a winter be in two years?" And "How well are the most important climate models able to predict the weather conditions for the coming year or even the next decade?" Very fair and important questions, obviously, if we are depending on these models to project global temperatures several decades into the future and guide global policies that will impact all humanity. He noted that German scientists Dr. Dörthe Handorf and Prof. Dr. Klaus Dethloff from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association (AWI) have evaluated 23 climate models and published their results in the current issue of the international scientific journal Tellus A.
Watts summarized their conclusions:
There is still a long way to go before reliable regional predictions can be made on seasonal to decadal time scales. None of the models evaluated is able today to forecast the weather-determining patterns of high and low pressure areas such that the probability of a cold winter or a dry summer can be reliably predicted.
None of the models was able to reliably reproduce how strong or weak the Icelandic Low, Azores High, and other meteorological centres of action were at a particular time over the last 50 years.
As many skeptical scientists have pointed out, for all the sophistication of computer models, they cannot account for many of the complex inputs that impact our climate. Dr. Handorf, one of the report's co-authors, acknowledges this limitation, noting that "it will not be enough to increase the pure computer power."
"We must continue to work on understanding the basic processes and interactions in this complicated system called 'atmosphere,'" said Dr. Handorf. "Even a high power computer reaches its limits if the mathematical equations of a climate model do not describe the real processes accurately enough."
Rising Tide of Facts Debunks Computer-generated Sea-rise
Jo Nova, Australia's climate-science dynamo, recently demolished the outlandish projections by climate alarmists that the city of Perth is in danger of being swamped by rising sea levels due to AGW. The actual data from the tide gauges, which was relatively simple to obtain, directly contradicts the alarmists computer models.
And that seems to be the story for the sea-level climate bugaboo worldwide, according to a study by Professor Nils-Axel Mörner, one of the world's top experts on sea levels. In a report issued December 7 with the unequivocal title, "Sea level is not rising," published by the Science & Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Dr. Mörner states, "We are facing a very grave, unethical 'sea-level-gate.'"
Professor Mörner makes some stunning charges, including:
• At most, global average sea level is rising at a rate equivalent to 2-3 inches per century. It is probably not rising at all.
• Sea level is measured by both tide gauges and, since 1992, satellite altimetry. One of the keepers of the satellite record told Professor Mörner that the record had been interfered with to show sea level rising, because the raw data from the satellites showed no increase in global sea level at all.
• The raw data from the TOPEX/POSEIDON sea-level satellites, which operated from 1993-2000, shows a slight uptrend in sea level. However, after exclusion of the distorting effects of the Great El Niño Southern Oscillation of 1997/1998, a naturally-occurring event, the sea-level trend is zero.
• The GRACE gravitational-anomaly satellites are able to measure ocean mass, from which sea-level change can be directly calculated. The GRACE data show that sea level fell slightly from 2002-2007.
• These two distinct satellite systems, using very different measurement methods, produced raw data reaching identical conclusions: sea level is barely rising, if at all.
• Sea level is not rising at all in the Maldives, the Laccadives, Tuvalu, India, Bangladesh, French Guyana, Venice, Cuxhaven, Korsør, Saint Paul Island, Qatar, etc.
• In the Maldives, a group of Australian environmental scientists uprooted a 50-year-old tree by the shoreline, aiming to conceal the fact that its location indicated that sea level had not been rising. This is a further indication of political tampering with scientific evidence about sea level.
• Modelling is not a suitable method of determining global sea-level changes, since a proper evaluation depends upon detailed research in multiple locations with widely-differing characteristics. The true facts are to be found in nature itself.
• Since sea level is not rising, the chief ground of concern at the potential effects of anthropogenic "global warming" — that millions of shore-dwellers the world over may be displaced as the oceans expand — is baseless.
The results of Dr. Mörner's research are especially relevant to assessing the claims of climate modelers that the survival of island nations such as Maldives and Tuvalu, and low-lying coastal areas in developing nations, such as India and Bangladesh, is being threatened by rising sea levels due to AGW from emissions of the "rich countries." The phony climate models projecting catastrophic sea-level rises are then used at UN climate summits, such as at Copenhagen, Cancun, Durban, Rio, and the recently concluded Doha summit, to call for carbon taxes and "loss and damages" payments to the "threatened" nations, in the interest of "climate justice."
As Prof. Mörner charges, "sea-level gate" is indeed a grave scandal, showing widespread unethical practices and serious perversion of science. However, "sea-level gate" is just one of a multitude of scandals, collectively known as Climategate, (See here, here, and here), nearly all of which employ computer modeling chicanery to craft wild scenarios (which invariably are contradicted by real-world observations and verifiable historical data) to promote an agenda of empowering governments at local, national, and international levels to deal with the fabricated "crises."
In a July 10, 2012 op-ed column for the Australian journal Quadrant, Professor Cliff Ollier of the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Western Australia took aim at the dangerous practice of allowing unvetted and unreviewed computer models to determine policies in the name of "science."
"Many think political decisions concerning climate are based on scientific predictions," noted Prof. Ollier. But, he continued, "This is not the case: what the politicians get are projections based on models. What is the difference, and why is it never made clear?"
He explains:
Models depend on what you put in (data), the program, and conclusions drawn from the output.
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change uses adjusted data for the input, mostly from the discredited UK East Anglia Climate Research Unit, and their computer models and codes remain secret — not a scientific procedure.
They do not give predictions of the future, but only computer projections. Furthermore they do not take responsibility for the alarm they generate.
FACT: No Warming For 16 Years — Computer Models Failed
Finally, Prof. Ollier, like many other scientists, points out that the real test of climate computer models is now in the public record: Despite the non-stop hyperventilation by the MSM talking heads about global warming, the fact is there has been no observable, measurable upward trend in global temperatures for the past 16 years.
This was acknowledged in October of this year by the U.K.'s Met Office, which has been one of the major promoters of global-warming alarmism. Professor Phil Jones, director of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, and one of the leading alarmists at the center of the Climategate e-mail scandal, stated that a period of 15 years without measurable warming would be required to invalidate the projections of the computer models. In 2009, when it was already becoming apparent that the Al Gore narrative based on the computer fables was in trouble, Jones sent an e-mail to one of his alarmist colleagues who was getting nervous: "Bottom line: the 'no upward trend' has to continue for a total of 15 years before we get worried."
Done: the drastic global temperature rises predicted by all the modelers of doom has not occurred for nearly 16 years — according to all the real measurements. The climate modelers have feet of clay. Professor Judith Curry, chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Science at Georgia Tech, says the lack of warming over the past 16 years makes it clear that the computer models used to predict future warming are "deeply flawed."
"Climate models are very complex, but they are imperfect and incomplete," she notes. "Natural variability has been shown over the past two decades to have a magnitude that dominates the greenhouse warming effect."
"It is becoming increasingly apparent," says Prof. Curry, "that our attribution of warming since 1980 and future projections of climate change needs to consider natural internal variability as a factor of fundamental importance."
Related articles:
New Report: Man-made Global Warming Is a Farce
UN Summit Fails to Enact "Complete Transformation" of the World


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The video of my talk is now available here.
The transformation of management and leadership
One of the most momentous things that can happen to any society occurs when it creates a new form of organization.
Some organizational discoveries have been bad news for the human race.
But the fundamental discovery that I'm talking about today is good news for almost everyone.
It's a better way of getting things done in the world.
- It's more satisfying for the people doing the work.
- It creates more delight for the people for whom the work is done.
- For the organizations, it's more productive for the organization itself. It makes more money. In fact it makes makes exponentially more money for the organization.
So this is good news for almost everyone.
We are talking about the transformation of management and leadership of pretty every major organization on the planet.
And as Ragnvald said in his introduction, I did in fact ask the world through my column on Forbes.com, "Does anyone have a better idea? Is there a better idea out there in management?" So what you are going to hear about today is the result of that inquiry: the single best management idea in the world.
This is not some fad that was cooked up last night and that will evaporate tomorrow. This is something that's been brewing and gathering momentum around the world for several decades. It has deep roots here in Europe, in Asia, and in the Americas. Some of its co-creators are right here in the room with us today. There is a whole body of knowledge about how this works and why this works. Even more interesting, some of the best implementations are taking place right here in Scandinavia. In fact, this is a very good fit with Scandinavian culture.
Stuff that works perfectly and other stuff that doesn't
Let me explain what this revolution is about from my own personal experience.
As I look around my life, I see two kinds of stuff. There is stuff that works perfectly for me and there's stuff that doesn't.
In the category of stuff that works perfectly for me, there is my Nespresso coffee maker, my Amazon Kindle, my Olympus audio recorder, my iPod, and my iPhone.
In the category of stuff that doesn't work perfectly for me, there is my PC that takes forever to start up and my TV which often suffers from irritating glitches. I could go on.
But let's go back to the stuff that works perfectly for me. You will notice that in this collection of stuff that works perfectly for me there are couple of products from Apple. And I am rather irritated to have to admit that, because I am not an Apple fan. I was a PC man from way back. I had a PC, not an Apple. I laughed at those people who struggled with the Apple III, the Macintosh and the Newton. These pretty little toys that had not software. It was all hype and no software. So I laughed at those people. I am not an Apple fan.
The iPod
In due course, the iPod came out and I laughed at that too: just another pretty little toy from Apple. I wasn't going to pay any attention to that. But eventually I did need a music player and so I bought an iPod and and found that, hey, actually this is pretty cool. Ok, they've done one good thing. No big deal.
The iPhone
Later on, the iPhone came out and I thought, "Oh no! Not more hype from Apple! Another pretty toy! Nothing serious!"
As it happens, I didn't have a mobile phone at the time. I didn't like being interrupted by other people. But eventually I succumbed to social pressure and I got an iPhone. And it was ok. I wasn't particularly thrilled with it. It worked ok.
But when my daughter said that she would like to have an iPhone, I said to her, "Here! Take my mine. I don't really need this. I can just buy buy a cheap mobile phone and you can have my iPhone." So I gave her my iPhone and I bought a cheap mobile phone.
This was not at all what I expected! It lacked all the things that were so convenient, so easy and quick, that I thought just happened automatically. None of that was there. So I was very irritated and after I threw away my cheap substitute and got an iPhone.
A fundamental shift in power in the marketplace
Now that little experience may sound trivial, but it is actually part of this epic shift in power in the marketplace that I am talking about. When I threw away that cheap phone and bought and iPhone, I was signifying that I am the boss of Apple. I have the power to decide whether to use the cheap phone or the iPhone. Apple has to respond to that. This is part of this massive shift in power in the marketplace from the seller to the buyer.
Fifty years ago, that couldn't have happened. Fifty years ago, I was stuck with whatever phone the phone company gave me. Take it or leave it. Fifty years ago, big firms were in charge of the marketplace. Now the buyer is in charge of the marketplace.
So when Apple puts out a mediocre mapping App, that disappoints me and everyone else. then Tim Cook has to get down on bended knee and apologize to me, and promise never ever to do that again. He knows that I am his boss. He knows that if he does that again, I might fire him. So this is a massive, massive shift in the marketplace.
The sad case of Nokia
In companies that, unlike Apple, that didn't grasp this shift in power in the marketplace, they started to notice that they were steadily making less money: they found making money more and more difficult. Even market leaders found it more and more difficult to maintain their leadership position in the marketplace.
One of those cases was the sad story of Nokia, right here in Scandinavia.
In 2004, Nokia was the world's leading make of mobile phones. They were powerful. They were rich. They were impregnable. And here they were living in this marvelous glass castle in their impregnable power position.
Now a funny thing happened in 2004. A couple of Nokia workers made a presentation to senior management of Nokia. They said, "We have an interesting idea. We've come up with a new kind of phone. Unlike Nokia's existing phones, it has a big bright color screen. It connects to the Internet and it doesn't have a keyboard like Nokia's current phones. You operate the phone with your fingers on a touch-screen. We think this could be a really big idea."
Nokia's management looked at this prototype and they said: "That's interesting but this would be hugely disruptive to all of our big marketing and product development plans. Everyone in the organization would object if we disrupted those plans. And this is risky: it might not even work. So we're going to put this on a backburner, and we'll continue with our big marketing and product development plans." And that's what happened.
And so for the next three years, it looked as though Nokia had made the right decision. For three years, Nokia and the top executives personally made a ton of money.
Then in 2007, something happened.
Out of nowhere, a firm that had never been in the mobile phone market, Apple produced tith iPhone, a phone precisely the features that Nokia's management had opted not to pursue.
It thrilled customers around the world and devastated Nokia's market share. And it devastated the share value of Nokia. Since 2004, it has lost 80 percent of its market capitalization. A catastrophic result.
Now the managers who made that decision in 2004 and some 25,000 employees of Nokia who have lost, or will soon lose, their jobs.
And Moody's has just downgraded Nokia to junk status.
So this is a bad news for Nokia.
Nokia is not alone
But the point of this story is that it is not just Nokia. It's pretty much every large organization in the world.
Just look at this chart. It shows result of a study of 20,000 US organizations—the largest US firms—from 1965 to 2011 and it shows that the rate of return on assets and the rate of return on invested capital, and it is basically a disaster.
Around 1965, those rates were around five or six percent. And now they are down around one percent. A 75 percent decline.
So If you are a chief executive and you are looking at this chart, you are looking at a death sentence. You are looking down the barrel of a gun. That's because, if you are a firm that is only making one percent return on your assets or you invested capital, your firm is not long for this world. You are in a very difficult situation.
Other studies which show that the life expectancy of firms in the Fortune 500, which used to be around 75 years is now less than 15 years and declining fast.
Desperate management fixes didn't work
When firms started noticing in the 1980s that they were having more and more difficulty making money, they started going doing more and more desperate things. They launched management fixes. They kept reorganizing. They tried marketing and sales initiatives. They bought new companies. They shed businesses that weren't doing well. They did all of these desperate things.
But as you can see from the chart, none of that worked. The steady decline continued. They didn't address the basic problem, the thing that was happening in the world, namely, this shift in power in the marketplace from the seller to the buyer. The power in the marketplace had shifted from the seller to the buyer. So the firms continued to have problems.
Some bold revolutionaries, who asked, "What if?"
But there were some bold rebels, some bold revolutionaries, who asked, "What if?"
They asked, "What if we addressed this basic assumption? What if we created a firm that was totally focused on the buyer, totally focused on the customer, totally focused on the client? What would that kind of organization look like? Could it make money? We know how to make money on a small scale: could we make money on a large scale if we totally focused the organization on delighting our customer?"
Here are a couple of examples.
Steve Jobs at Apple 1997-2011
The first example—I hate to admit—is once again Apple [AAPL]. Sorry about that.
In 1997, Apple was practically bankrupt. It had become a big, bumbling hierarchy. Its products satisfied a small niche of customers. It wasn't a serious contender.
In 1997, Steve Jobs came back not just to rescue the firm. He set out to test this hypothesis: is it possible to create a firm that was totally focused on delighting its customers? And if you could, would it make any money? He had tried to do this twenty years earlier and had failed. Now he had another chance.
He looked around Apple and he asked: who is contributing to customer delight and who isn't? He looked at the 4,000 middle managers in Apple and he couldn't see how they were not doing anything useful for customers. They were shuffling papers up and down the hierarchy.
So he said: "Those positions are gone. If you want a job in Apple, then you need to be working on something that adds value to customers."
He said the same thing to the people in the R&D department. He closed it down and said, "If we have good people, we'll be able to access the best knowledge in the world."
And he proved it. In 2007, Apple was able to launch a state-of-the-art mobile phone from scratch in just 18 months. This was an organization that had never done anything in cell phones before that.
So Apple transformed the music business. He transformed the mobile phone business. He transformed the tablet and PC business. It had this amazing impact on the world by having the the whole firm comprised a large number of multidisciplinary teams, all totally focused on delighting the customer.
And in so doing, Apple answered the question: is it possible to make money by delighting the customer on a large scale? Yes, actually, it is. It not only makes money, it makes humongous amounts of money! Apple went from being on the brink of bankruptcy in 1997 to being the largest market cap company in the whole wide world, all in just 15 years.
An increase in share value of 9,000 percent in just ten years. Remarkable!
Salesforce in 2006
Another example is Salesforce [CRM]. Marc Benioff is the chief executive of this organization that provides software services on a global basis. It has headquarters in San Francisco. In 2011, Marc Benioff was named by Forbes in 2011 as the most valuable manager on the planet—the most valuable manager on the planet.
And how did that happen? Well, in 2006, Marc Benioff was head of this fast-growing startup, but he saw that it was rapidly becoming just another slow-moving bureaucracy that was unable to innovate. So he decided to do something different. He drew on a whole set of expertise and knowledge in the software field. It had been around for several decades. He didn't invent this approach. But he applied and showed what it could accomplish. Salesforce became one of the very best exponents of this approach in the world.
And what does it involve? Well, what happens in a bureaucracy is this. You have departments and they have these big plans and big budgets. But in this approach you ask, "What are the most important things for customers in the whole firm?" And once you've established that, you ask, "What's the most important thing, the most important thing in the whole firm for customers?" And once you've figured that out, you ask: "Who are the very best people in the entire firm to work on this most important thing?" If you asked that question in a bureaucracy, like Nokia, what would happen is that managers would leap up and say: "You can't have those people because they are my very best people and they are very important to me and they are crucial to my unit to meeting my targets. So you can't have those people. You'll have to find somebody else." But on this approach, you say: "Is this the most important thing in the firm or not?" If it is the most important thing in the firm, then you pull those people out from whatever they are doing and you say, "You are now working on this task full-time!"
And you ask the people, "How much do you think can you get done for customers on this task in, say, a month?" The people get together and they say what they think they could accomplish, and the firm says: "Right! Go away for a month and deliver at least that. More if you can. We won't interrupt you. We will not bother you. If there is anything you need, or anything that's getting in the way, just let us know, because this is the most important thing. So go for it. Make the most important thing in the whole firm happen! You have a month!"
Then you say: "Now what's the next most important thing?" And "Who are the best people to work on that?" And you basically work down the most important things that the firm has to do and getting the best people working full-time on the most important tasks.
So now instead of the usual situation where 20 percent of the people working on high value tasks, suddenly you've got 80 percent of the people working on high value tasks. And a lot of low value work that consuming time now gets eliminated.
And at the end of the month, you assess what's been accomplished from the client perspective and you evaluate what's been learned and you begin again.
What happens of course in the process is that a lot of the management roles disappear in the process and you have a very agile organization that learns very rapidly. It doesn't take you a year or two to discover that some big project is going to fail. You find it out in the first month or two. So you can make adjustments. You learn very quickly.
More productive, more challenging & more profitable
This means changes for everyone in the organization. It is more productive. It is more satisfying because finally you can finally get on with your job without being interrupted, the job that you wanted to do all these years. And if you are facing an impediment to getting things done, you can get that fixed. So it's more productive for the workers. It's more satisfying.
But it's also more challenging. A smaller number of managers have to be decisive on priorities and on removing impediments to getting the work done. Unlike a bureaucracy, they can't hedge their bets and wait to see which way the corporate wind is blowing. They actually have to decide.
And for the workers, they have more responsibility. They have to decide how much they can produce in a month and then delivering on what they have promised. What they produce each month is visible to everyone. Unlike a bureaucracy, there is nowhere for anyone to hide. If you are just coasting along, everyone can see that.
So it's a more challenging environment for both managers and workers
And it also answers the question: does operating in this way make money? Yes, it does make money. It not only makes money. It makes exponentially more money. Salesforce is growing at 40 percent a year and has increased its market cap by 800 percent since it went public eight years ago. Remarkable!
A better way of running organizations
So this is better way of running organizations. It is spreading from software development into every field.
Manufacturing cars.
Making clothes.
Building houses.
Doing industrial repairs.
Even building submarines.
Anything. This way of managing is applicable to anything, anywhere where you need to delight customers.
This is a paradigm shift
So we are talking about here is a fundamental paradigm shift in management. "Paradigm shift" is a term that is often thrown around carelessly in management. But this is a paradigm shift in the strict sense as laid down by Thomas Kuhn: this is a different mental model of the world.
It is a different kind of ecosystem: this is not an ecosystem that is inwardly focused, bureaucratic, hierarchical and focused on making money. This is an ecosystem that is externally focused and totally focused on providing value to customers. It is a fundamental shift in the ecosystem of the organization.
A new kind of management
So this is a new kind of management. A lot of what you read in management textbooks, in business journals, what they teach in business schools simply doesn't work any more.
To make this happen, there are a whole lot of things that are different: changes in the goal of the organization, a new role of managers, changes in the way work is coordinated, changes in values and the changes in communications from vertical commands to horizontal conversations. This is different.
The shift entails a different way of treating people: a shift from a world in which people are manipulated as things to a world in which people are interacted with as human beings.
But even more important is the fact that it makes more money. The fact that this way of managing is more humanistic is nice. But humanistic management ideas have been around for ninety years and they haven't really entered the mainstream because they are perceived to cost more money. But what's really driving the change is the exponential growth in profitability. The paradox of this new way of managing doesn't focus on making money, but it ends making a lot more money than those firms that focus on making money.
This is what will drive the change. It won't happen because people recommend it or because workers like it or customers are happier. What will drive it is that it makes more money.
These are not small gains of 10 percent or 20 percent. These are massive exponential gains. You don't need to be a math genius to see the difference between minus 80 percent and plus 800 percent.
The paradigm shift is everyone's responsibility
Everyone has responsibility for making the paradigm shift happen. When I speak about leadership responsibility, I'm not just talking celebrity CEOs like Steve Jobs or Marc Benioff.
This revolution is happening in thousands of organizations around the world, mostly on a small scale. It's leadership in single teams, in small units, in whole departments, in thousands of small organizations, in quite a few medium sized firms and now some large firms with spectacular results. Even a firm like General Electric, if you go inside that organization and look at GE Healthcare, you will find a whole sleeper cell of revolutionaries, pursuing this approach. So this is like an unstoppable healthy virus that will take over all big organizations, once they see what is involved and what it can accomplish. It's more productive and it makes more money.
My invitation to you
So that's my invitation to you. This change is coming to your workplace, if it isn't already there, whether you are interested in it or not. So it's a good idea to find out what it's about and become part of it.
It is tempting to say "This is risky, I'll wait till the change comes to me."
The problem is that it may be too late. If you wait around, you may end up like the managers at Nokia or the 25,000 employees who have lost their jobs.
So my invitation to you is this. Find out about it. Join it. Be part of it. Lead this paradigm shift. Ultimately the choice isn't whether to be part of it. The only question is when. So that's my question to you: why not ….now?
Read also:
The five surprises of radical management
Scrum is a major management discovery
The world's dumbest idea: maximizing shareholder value
The best-kept management secret on the planet
The case against Agile: Ten perennial management objections
Steve Denning's most recent book is: The Leader's Guide to Radical Management (Jossey-Bass, 2010).
Follow Steve Denning on Twitter @stevedenning
My book, "The Age of Agile" was published by HarperCollins in 2018 and was selected by the Financial Times as one of the best business books of 2018. I consult with…
My book, "The Age of Agile" was published by HarperCollins in 2018 and was selected by the Financial Times as one of the best business books of 2018. I consult with organizations around the world on leadership, innovation, management and business narrative. For many years I worked at the World Bank, where I held many management positions, including director of knowledge management (1996-2000). I am currently a director of the SD Learning Consortium. I am also the author of the Leader's Guide to Radical Management, The Leader's Guide to Storytelling and The Secret Language of Leadership.


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Why don't we teach environmental justice in the rural West?
I just returned from a three-day trip to the 15th Annual Institute for Natural Resources Law Teachers, held in Stevenson, Wash. along the scenic and culturally rich, Columbia River Gorge. In addition to learning about the distressing influence that European settlers have had on this part of the planet, and indulging in the fantastic research of my peers, my task at the conference was to convince "a bunch of natural resource law professors to incorporate environmental justice into their classroom curriculum." A seemingly overwhelming, but vital, chore.
An obvious, recent example is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to license more uranium ore mining near Churchrock and Crown Point, N.M. The Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining have repeatedly pointed out that the project "could contaminate drinking water for 15,000 Navajo residents" and violates their "human rights" as set forth in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. Just last month, the Navajo took the rare step of filing their complaint against the United States with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Their plight is one shared by indigenous and underrepresented communities throughout the world at the hands of resource extraction industries.
Gratefully, none of my peers at the conference argued the point that environmental injustices are a common consequence of natural resource extraction. This is good, because some of the most prominent natural resources law professors from around the country, including those from law schools in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Washington and Oregon, attended the Institute. However, when I asked over 40 of these professors if environmental justice was a component of their class, only a smattering of hands went up. As it turns out the more difficult question I faced at the conference was not whether environmental justice should be taught, but why it is not already part of every natural resources law course curriculum.*
I am not sure that there is a bona fide answer to why environmental justice is not a topic of teaching natural resources law. My brief research in preparing for the Institute did not uncover any obvious research on that question. Still, I think there are three potential culprits for this serious oversight in the context of a very important aspect of legal education in the American West and beyond.
First, non-human environmental impacts associated with resource extraction overshadow environmental justice issues. During my three days in Washington, for instance, I was told a little about the impact the construction of the Columbia River hydropower system had on Native Americans; but I learned a great deal about the impact of that system on native salmon fisheries. The same is true throughout the West. What is most often covered by law professors––who only have so much time in a course to teach any particular topic––is the impact mining and fossil fuel development has on endangered species, ecosystems, and watersheds. These environmental issues are important and deserve the attention they are given. But they should not displace a discussion about the environmental injustices these industries also cause in the communities they operate.
Second, to the extent the topic of environmental injustice does arise in the classroom, it is often expressed as a human rights issue. To some extent this makes sense, and environmental justice advocates welcome the idea of a human right to a livable environment. But in the classroom, it is an easy way to race around the topic; human rights, it can be said wrongly, are best covered in an international law or indigenous peoples course.
Third, the myth of disaggregation that dominates so many aspects of natural resources law is a barrier to fully examining environmental injustices associated with these industries. Natural resource industries love to separate out the various aspects of the extraction, production, delivery, and use of their products. Natural resource lawyers talk about upstream, midstream, and downstream operations. In doing so, they seek to shield their client's many operations from excessive liability, and distort the big picture impacts the use natural resources have on the environment and humans alike. Thus, it is effortless to leave out of the discussion on natural resources law the impact the use of these products will have on the communities in which they are ultimately used far "downstream" from their extraction. Communities that are predominately disadvantaged politically, whether urban or rural.
I am not sure whether I convinced any of my peers to incorporate EJ into their classes. But as professors we must fully embrace the importance of a discussion with students––whether in law school, business school, or pursuing a degree in geology--about the true impacts associated with our overreliance on natural resources. Whether downstream, midstream, or upstream those who will be making decisions associated with natural resources tomorrow need to better understand today the impact such decisions will have on both people and ecosystems. Maybe just one of those students will someday reach a decision that makes our world a better place.
*If the topic of environmental justice is discussed at all in law schools, it is usually done so in an environmental law class that focus on the regulation of pollution sources, or in a stand alone EJ seminar, like that taught by Professor Eileen Gauna from the University of New Mexico.
Essays in the Just West blog are not written by the High Country News. The authors are solely responsible for the content.
Michael is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law, where he directs the school's environmental law clinic. He can be reached at [email protected]
Image of Navajo Generating Station courtesy Flickr user Nathan Rupert.


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If there are weather apps, calendar apps and to do list apps, there should be an app that spits out an optimal schedule for you to follow. What's the point of jogging in the rain and then doing laundry when the sun comes out? Or maybe you like to run in the rain because it cools you off. Or you're really pale and trying to avoid direct sun. Whatever. It's between you and Foresee now.
Basically Foresee has you input the activities you like/want to do and then asks you to give specific weather parameters for each, from temperature to precipitation and even cloud cover. Foresee compiles data from WeatherUnderground and then recommends activities for your day (no notifications yet, but apparently they're on their way). When you figure out your plan you can share it to Facebook or Twitter. The app design is appealing, but it still seems kind of time consuming to add the fine details of each activity.
On the other hand, if there's something you do once in a while under certain conditions, like clean your gutters, it could be a worthwhile thing to check. Anything that minimizes planning so you can actually do stuff is a net gain. Foresee is $US1 for iOS only. [AppAdvice]


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In the 54 years that Jim Heichelbech has played St. Nick, he's seen plenty of naughty and nice. From bizarre gift requests (Viagra?) to physical training that starts in July, the 80-year-old reveals what it's really like to suit up.
You wouldn't believe the demands of the job: I start training in July!
Because of the physical demands of suiting up as Santa, I have to take care of my body on and off of the job. I get up everyday at 6 a.m. to walk a mile. I take vitamins, and my wife, Marilyn, fixes me balanced meals. My employer, Noerr Programs Corporation, hosts a three-day Santa University conference in July where RBSs (Real Bearded Santas) learn proper posture and sitting and breathing and techniques. I also depend on moms and dads to help me by lifting their kids onto my lap.
Looking the part is expensive and sweaty
I've got a real beard, but my hair's dark, so I have to get it bleached by a professional twice each holiday season to keep it snow white. My Santa figure is all natural; I'm 256 pounds and 6 feet tall (what can I say — I love to eat). Noerr makes the best custom-made suits in the country in an unusual burgundy shade, and they retail for more than $1,000. A full-time employee works on the costumes year round, and mine gets dry-cleaned weekly. Then there are the white gloves. My wife washes mine, and I keep several pairs near my seat so that I can switch when one gets dirty or covered in drool. It heats up underneath that 35-pound suit, when I've layered on a shirt, a vest, and a robe. Add three or four kids squirming on my lap, and I've got to really concentrate to keep from passing out. When a child gets off my lap, that's the time I most want to wipe away the sweat, but I can't. It's a total mind control exercise.
Related: Confessions of … a Disney cast member
I get the third degree about whether or not I'm the real Santa
Children are much savvier than they were 40 years ago, and you can't play around with them as much. A kid will start off by questioning me: "Are you the real Santa?" Years ago, I could've said, "Well yes, Tommy, I'm the real Santa," and he would've believed me in a heartbeat. These days I say, "Well, what do you think? Take a look at my eyes — do you see the color of my eyes?" Thankfully, they're blue, like Santa's. "Feel my beard," I'll say. "Do you think I'm the real Santa?" Then finally I'll hear, "Oh, Mommy, you were right — he is the real one!" But, there are some that you just can't convince — or console. It happens frequently with the young ones, usually around the age of 2, who get really scared. I'm this strange-looking man, and they're terrified that their parents might abandon them. I use a distraction and reward method; I try to find anything I can to get them to calm down, usually a candy cane or a stuffed Elmo. I make sure the photographer quickly snaps the photo and then give them back to their mom or dad. Usually, even if the child is sobbing in the photo, the parent will still buy a package of copies.
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'Santa, I'd like Viagra this year'
Forget a hula hoop or a Barbie doll. It's all about the electronics now, which I'm sure cost hundreds of dollars. These kids as young as 3 are asking for things like a Nintendo DSi, a cell phone, and an Xbox 360. I love to watch the facial expressions of the parents, especially the mothers, who just roll their eyes when they hear these kinds of requests. But they get weirder. One time, a boy came up to me who was about 8 years old. He stood about five feet away from me with his hands on his hips, and I could tell by his body language that he didn't believe in Santa. Finally he stepped up to me and told me that he wanted Viagra for Christmas. I responded with "What's that?" He said, "A pill." And I said, "Why do you want to take a pill? He answered, "I want to be strong, and my Dad says Viagra will make me strong." I had to think fast on my feet without getting flustered, so I told him, "Son, I just don't think my elves know how to make that pill." It was wild.
Related: Confessions of … a hotel housekeeper
Santas don't get any breaks
I work six-hour shifts from Nov. 2, the first day we open up in the Burlington Mall, through the last shift on Christmas Eve. There's usually a two-hour wait to see me, so it's a nonstop job. I don't even take a break to go to the bathroom because I have to make sure that every single kid gets about two minutes of time with me. When I arrive at work, I head straight to the dressing room, change into my costume, and fuel up with a quick snack like a PB&J sandwich. Then a staff member escorts me to my place on the set. Sunday nights are the craziest. The mall closes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for pet night. People bring in their snakes, birds, dogs, cats, turtles — I've even had a horse come in — to take a photo with me. A lady once brought in her three golden retrievers. They all sat around me, and then she called them by name to get up and switch positions without her touching them — and they did!
My favorite part is taking the kids by surprise
At least I still have some ability to make magic. Kids are always taken aback when I call out their names as they approach my lap. I have the photographers to thank for this. They help me by asking the parents for the kids' names, then step forward and whisper them to me right before the children walk up. If a child is in a feeling skeptical, I tell them that I know their name because I've seen it before in my big book of wishes. And yes, that works.
Copyright © 2012 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc.


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Stand still…A butterfly might touch you!
A unique nature reserve is to be found inland on Rhodes, "Butterfly Valley" (in Greek "Petaloúdes"). Apart from its aesthetic value, it is also the site of the only natural forest of Liquidambar orientalis (Oriental Sweetgum trees) in Europe, and a resting point for the Jersey tiger (Panaxia Quadripunctaria), a nocturnal moth. An excellent place for families with children who wish to enjoy the beauties of nature and examine the life cycle of butterflies as part of their summer holiday.
You and your children will love the peaceful walk through the shaded, green valley with its small river and beautiful waterfalls. You are permanently surrounded by butterflies camouflaging themselves against the tree trunks as you walk up towards the monastery at the top, or rest for a while on one of the wooden benches along the way.
What to tell the children about "Petaloúdes" (Butterfly Valley):
Visitors can witness a spectacular phenomenon which occurs only rarely in nature. Huge numbers of butterflies congregate in this small valley during the final stage of their life cycle. Every year, at the end of the wet season (late May), thousands of butterflies attracted by the scent of the Oriental Sweetgum trees cover the entire landscape. They are actually adult insects that follow the waterways and migrate here to reproduce (females leave for other suitable areas to lay their eggs in the early fall) due to the high humidity of the area.
Hush, hush..butterflies are resting here…The moths cannot eat during this final phase of their life cycle, so they rest here to conserve energy. Any loud noise would force them to fly away, thereby consuming valuable energy. Observe them as they "sleep" well-camouflaged in black and yellow; in flight their cherry-red overwings flash. If you are quiet and still, they may even land on your arm –that would make a wonderful photo!
• Complete your tour with a visit to the Museum of Natural History:
In the Valley of the Butterflies, there is a museum housed in a nicely restored Italian house of the 30s. Here you will find extensive information about the flora and fauna in the reserve. The most interesting part of the museum is the hatchery, where a number of butterflies reproduce in a protected area in stable climate conditions and an ideal environment.
Getting there
Petaloúdes is located in the northern part of the island, 26 km from the town of Rhodes, and 6 km from the western coast. Starting from Rhodes city you will find the valley between the villages Paradísi and Theológos along a small road that heads inland. Buses will also take you there.
When your visit to Butterfly Valley is over, you can carry on with your exploration of the island. Here are some suggestions.
After the Batterfly Valley
Butterfly Valley is surrounded by beautiful villages where you can take a break after a morning's tour and get a taste of a more traditional way of life with the locals.
• Where to eat:
(1) Some of the best tavérnas are in Psínthos village. This classic small Greek village with flowing waters and aged plane trees reveals the beauty of the countryside of Rhodes. In the village square there is a church dedicated to Panayia Theotókos (the Virgin Mary). A typically rural festival takes place here every year on September 8, accompanied by good food, music and dance.
Taste: excellent grills and appetizers, pitta bread and fruits (complemented with cold retsína), and tasty mayireftá home-cooked dishes such as stuffed tomatoes and peppers, aubergine salad, youvétsi (meat stewed with pasta), dolmadákia (stuffed vine leaves, etc.).
(2) From Psínthos a small winding road leads north to Maritsá, a place buzzing with life. Along the high street, tavérnas and ouzerís serve delicious mezédes and finely cooked meat; for a few euros you can choose from half a dozen or so different dishes which change every day, such as chicken fillet with cumin, pansétta, assorted óspria (legumes), lamb or salads.
(3) In close proximity to Petaloúdes, there is another serene traditional coastal settlement awaiting you and your family: Theológos (also called Thólos). Enjoy: local cuisine in family tavérnas and restaurants, fine accommodation in hotels and apartments and swimming at the long sandy beach.
• If you don't want to stray too far away from the sea, what could be better for you and your family than a trip to one of the Blue-Flag winning beaches in the area? Here is a short list:
(1) From Psínthos, head to Afándou bay (on the east coast of the island, 18 km from Rhodes City) by car or public transport. Here you will find beach sport centres, sections equipped with umbrellas and sun loungers, plus food and accommodation. This extremely long sandy beach has room for everyone: families with ice-boxes and folding chairs, couples with tents, Brits with their hot dogs and beers at the canteen, young people racing their jet-skis, locals tasting fresh fish at the tavérnas. Alongside the coastal road you will also find Rhodes golf course.
(2) Moving much further to the south, there is a more family-oriented beach at Péfkos (or Péfki) 56km from Rhodes city. It is part of a larger resort area with hotels and fine rooms to let, a great favourite for Scandinavians, the British, Germans and Austrians. Pine trees "watch over you" as you swim at this small, yet beautiful, beach. The sea here is clear-crystal, with other smaller secluded beaches tucked in at the base of low cliffs. Along the main streets of Péfkos, just behind the beach, you will find mini markets, pharmacies, cafés, bars and restaurants. This is the ideal destination for those looking for a quieter place to use as a base for exploring the island, and many visitors return again and again.
(3) Again on the east coast, Vlýha beach is situated 47 km from the city of Rhodes, close to Péfkos beach. Children with buckets and spades and families from Líndos are the main guests on this beach. Vlýha is a pleasant beach, big enough not to become crowded, suitable for those who want to escape the central beach of Líndos. The sea here deepens smoothly and gradually. Enjoy a light meal (sandwiches, crepes, etc.), coffee and other beverages at the area's small cafés.
Rhodes island boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece, most of which have been awarded Blue Flags. With so many to choose from, you are sure to find one that is perfect for you and your children, whatever you want to do.
Visitgreece.gr is the official tourism web site for Greece, run by the Greek National Tourism Organisation, where you'll find information on the main tourist destinations, such as cities, beaches, as well as activities, events and much more!
All content included on this site consists intellectual property of GNTO and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or part of this work in any way.
For information please contact: firstname.lastname@example.com. All Rights Reserved. GNTO © 2020.


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Montgomery, Phillies out to restart winning cycle
President, general partner, CEO discusses present state of team, future considerations
PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies general partner, president and chief executive officer David Montgomery gave the opening remarks on Thursday for the annual Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Convention, staged this year at the Marriott Hotel on Market Street in Center City.
It was a grey, dreary and rainy day outside, but the 67-year old Philly native was his usual charming self, spinning tales about the Phillies old and new to an audience of about 500. Montgomery has been working in one capacity or another for the Phillies since 1971, starting off in season-ticket sales.
"From 1975-83, we enjoyed a wonderful period of success," Montgomery told the crowd. "We had nine straight winning seasons, five times we won the NL East, twice got to the World Series, and won it once [1980]. For those of you doing numbers, I think we had a .560 winning percentage during that period of time.
"Well, believe it or not, we just repeated that in the nine years prior to last year. We had nine consecutive winning seasons. We had five [division] championships. We went to the World Series twice and, of course, won one of those [2008]. For those of you who follow the cycles in our sport, apparently there's such a thing in Philadelphia."
On their way to perhaps the second consecutive season without making the playoffs, the Phillies' braintrust, headed by Montgomery and general manager Ruben Amaro, is trying to determine how to start that cycle anew.
MLB.com: The Phillies didn't make any moves at the non-waiver Trade Deadline. Why not?
Montgomery: Well, as Ruben said last night, the discussions we had and the offers we had just didn't warrant making a move. The reality is, and the marketplace was such, that there wasn't a whole lot of activity. And since the types of deals we were talking about were second tier, if you know what I mean, I think as the day wound on, some folks ran out of time. They were focusing on one thing and it did or it didn't happen for them. We just knew going in that there probably wasn't going to be a whole lot of opportunity. At the same time, our goal is to improve. Our goal is to improve for today and tomorrow. What we heard from people didn't seem to make sense.
MLB.com: It's hard to get this "buy or sell" thing just because of your position in the playoff race. Isn't it true that if you sell off players, you're going to have to replace them in the offseason, sometimes at a lesser level?
Montgomery: You know better than anybody that injuries are a huge part of things. For us to evaluate our club right now, it's not our club. What I mean by that, I'm a great believer in balance. We probably weren't as good as we were when we went 9-4 heading into the break and probably not as bad as going 2-9 coming out of the break. The reality is we have to get the pieces we were counting on back together, including Domonic (Brown) and Cliff (Lee) pitching again, including Ben Revere and hopefully Ryan (Howard), to evaluate what that team means to us and then make decisions accordingly.
People said we brought Cody Asche up because we were trading Michael Young. No. That wasn't the case. It's time we look at Cody Asche as a third baseman in order to evaluate if he can help us next year or not.
MLB.com: Well, your last two seasons have been injury filled. You opened last season with Howard and Chase Utley out for the first half, and Roy Halladay missed a month. Now, Halladay has been out a good portion of the season after shoulder surgery, and you just documented the other ongoing injuries.
Montgomery: Last year we were short to start. It was different because we kept saying, "When we get Ryan back, when we get Ut back, we think we can be a stronger club." And, of course, we played a lot better in the second half. Time will tell whether that will happen again. Everybody, in my mind, views us as if we have two options: we're caught either buying or selling. I just believe that every opportunity you have to talk to another team, you have to independently decide whether it's an improvement for either today or tomorrow. As it turned out, we just didn't see those types of deals out there.
MLB.com: You're like the Yankees now. The Phillies are in a market where you can't tell your fans you're going into a five-year growth pattern.
Montgomery: That's right. We want to build on the fan identification we have with some players. Our offense hasn't given us what we hoped for this year. We're hoping that our veterans are going to combine with our younger talent and that's going to eventually make the difference. When Ben and Domonic were in the lineup, we were pretty good. Ben had a tough April, but he began producing at the top of the lineup there until sadly he broke that knob bone in his ankle. You want to evaluate when you have more of your club together than when you're in a situation like we are right now.
MLB.com: You touched a little bit on this in your address to the group. What do you think of the propensity throughout the game of signing players to long-term contracts? You've done that here. Howard is a good example. You don't know if he'll ever be the same player, but you owe him $85 million long term.
Montgomery: And you touched on it. I'll go back to your question about the expectations of our fans here. Last year, the question I got from fans everywhere I went was, "When are you going to sign Cole Hamels?" We finally signed him, but what's he, 4-13? He hasn't had a lot of run support. He's not a 4-13 pitcher. My point is, you pick and choose. You take a nucleus like we have that's had great success and pick those elements you want to keep as long as possible. You hope that you select those players long-term who have the good fortune to be healthy and productive throughout their contract. Sometimes you're going to be right. Not always.
MLB.com: What's manager Charlie Manuel's future? He's at the end of his contract.
Montgomery: Well, I think as we've said all along, Charlie and Ruben have talked, and we just decided that we have enough going on out there this year that the best course was to see what happens this season.
MLB.com: Would it be tough to move out a guy who is the winningest manager in Phillies history, who clearly wants to continue managing?
Montgomery: Well, we're not necessarily talking about moving him out. We just decided, "Let's see how the year plays out, and then we'll take it from there."


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| 12.1°C Belfast
R&B singer Chris Brown's assault trial has been put on hold for months after prosecutors refused to grant immunity to his bodyguard, who would be a key witness in the case.
Brown, 24, will remain in custody for the near future after a Los Angeles judge denied a request by the Grammy-winning singer's lawyer to release him while he awaited trial.
His trial had been set to start in Washington DC yesterday and his bodyguard Christopher Hollosy had been expected to give evidence saying that he, not Brown, hit a man outside a hotel in the US capital in October.
Hollosy was tried separately and convicted of assault on Monday, but he plans to appeal. His lawyer has said that unless Hollosy is granted immunity, he will not give evidence until his appeal is over.
A lawyer for Brown said in court yesterday that it could take at least six months and prosecutors have said it could take a year. No new trial date for Brown was set.
Prosecutors told the judge they decided not to grant Hollosy immunity because he refused to meet them to discuss his evidence following his conviction. They also believe his likely evidence - that he alone threw a punch - would be a lie.
Prosecutors say Brown and Hollosy hit 20-year-old Parker Adams after Mr Adams tried to get into a photo Brown was taking with two women outside his tour bus. Witnesses told Hollosy's trial that Adams and Brown exchanged words over the picture and Brown, then Hollosy, hit Mr Adams.
Hollosy told police a different story, saying he hit Mr Adams after Mr Adams tried to get on Brown's tour bus. Brown denied hitting Mr Adams and made a similar statement to police.
A judge trying Hollosy's case found Hollosy struck Mr Adams and that Brown acted as the initial aggressor. A Los Angeles prosecutor cited the finding during a hearing yesterday, but it was not considered by the judge who refused to release Brown.
Earlier, DC Superior Court Judge Franklin Burgess set a status hearing in Brown's case for June 25, the same day Hollosy is due to be sentenced.
"I think all of this is much ado about nothing and frankly I look forward to being able to try this at some point," Brown's lead lawyer Mark Geragos said outside the court.
Evidence of Brown's conduct in Washington could lead him to face additional penalties in California because of his conviction for attacking pop singer and ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Brown was on probation in that case when he was arrested in Washington.
Los Angeles prosecutors and a judge had been awaiting the outcome of the Washington trial, but could consider additional punishments based on evidence and evidence presented during a probation violation hearing.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Victor Greenberg refused to consider rulings in the Washington case during a brief hearing yesterday. Another of Brown's lawyers, Bob Kalunian, argued the singer should be released on his own recognisance or on bail.
The judge set a hearing for May 1 to determine when a probation violation hearing should be held. The hearing would cover evidence and evidence likely to be presented against the singer in Washington.
Mr Kalunian said the singer wanted the hearing as soon as possible and Judge Greenberg said it would probably happen before the Washington assault trial.
Brown entered anger management rehab in California shortly after his Washington arrest, but was dismissed from the Malibu centre in mid-March for breaking its rules. He was then jailed without bail and has been in custody since.
He was transported to the Washington area by the US Marshals Service and will now be sent back to California.


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Eastern Churches Council of Australia
|This article forms part of the series
Orthodoxy in Australia
|Orthodoxy in Australia Timeline
Statistics of Orthodoxy in Australia
Antiochian Orthodox
Gk Orthodox Archd. of ANZ
|GOA Aus - Abp Makarios
Antiochian - Met Basilios
ROCOR - Met Hilarion
Serbian - Bp Siluan
Romanian - Bp Michael
Without local bishop
|Pan-Orthodox Synaxes
|Episcopal Assembly
| Antiochian Orthodox
Greek Orthodox (Aus)
|Notable Monasteries
|St Anna
Holy Cross
O.L. of Kazan
|Proph. Elias
St John Mtn
St Sava (Elaine)
|Complete List
|Edit this box
Eastern Hierarchs is an organisation of Christian eastern-rite jurisdictions in Australia. It is focused on working for the love of God spreading throughout the Church in Australia, in a spirit of Christ-like co-operation, without accusation, judgment, condemnation, or lust for power.
Recent news
On Bright Monday, April 24, 2006, an annual ecumenical service was held to commemorate the suffering, death, descent and resurrection of Christ. 38 clergy eight nuns were present, including Metropolitan Archbishop Paul, and members of all levels of the clergy.
Churches represented include the Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Cyprus, Greece, Romania; the Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches of the Copts and Syriacs; and the Eastern Rite Catholic churches of the Maronites and the Melkites.
Apologies were received from the local bishops of the Pre-Ephesian Orthodox Churches of the Armenians and of the Assyrians.
External links
- Eastern Hierarchs Ecumenical Service (24 April, 2006)


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The Brits won't let Novak Djokovic's dog Pierre into the country to watch master play tennis at Wimbledon. This sucks for Novak, whose pooch has a Twitter account and managed to get onto the cover of the July edition of men's Vogue, or L'Uomo Vogue.
The dog, to whom he is devoted, has been an ever present during the European clay court season, which Djokovic dominated until losing for the only time this year in the French Open semi-finals.
Pierre was even spotted in Paris, sat on a cushion at a table cafe next to the tennis player who fed him noodles.
"He is upset he can't bring Pierre to Wimbledon and he is pleading with the authorities to let the dog in," said a source in the Djokovic camp. "Whenever he can he takes the dog with him. he is genuinely upset. For him this is a very serious issue."
This goes a long way to explaining why Pierre's pal lost his shit during a fourth-round win over Marco Baghdatis. In fact, it's hard to imagine a Serbian having gone through anything more difficult.
Wimbledon 2011: Novak Djokovic pleads for pet poodle Pierre to be allowed into tournament [Telegraph]
(Photo H/T Tennis Perspective)
Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Be good.


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UCAS - Glasgow Higher Education Exhibition- Cancelled. More information on virtual events coming soon.
Join us alongside UCAS experts and hundreds of university representatives, employers, and gap year specialists at one of UCAS's largest events.
With inspirational talks, topical seminars, application process advice, and interactive stands, this is an event experience like no other. What's more, current students are on hand to discuss what it's really like to study a certain subject. It's the perfect opportunity to ask those burning questions that Google just can't answer.
Specific Times:
Tue 15 September 2020 - 09:30 to 15:00 TBC
For information and updates on this event see here
Find out more about QMU Open Day Dates and Meeting Us
Event Details
9:30am End 15 September 2020


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Diesel Only Set Of (4) Decal Sticker
All Our Decals Are Made In America
If you have any questions please ask
All decals are made with premium high quality vinyl rated 5-7 years of out door use
These are great for back windows of cars or trucks
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Enhanced services based on real-time information from interconnected systems and devices | Intelligent data capture and analysis to improve sustainability of cities and quality of life for citizens
Deutsche Telekom and IBM announced today a collaboration to provide an integrated solutions portfolio that enables cities to make smarter use of their services through intelligent data capture and analysis. The Smarter Cities solutions will build on IBM's expertise from thousands of smarter city engagements combined with Deutsche Telekom's global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) capabilities, which include M2M solutions integration and advanced network connectivity.
The M2M communication technology facilitates the automated exchange of information between terminal equipment such as machines, vehicles and containers or with a central control center – creating an interconnectivity often referred to as the "Internet of Things." By using sensors embedded in a wide array of systems serving the public — such as a traffic lights, public transport vehicles or parking spaces — M2M technology can report on the status of the system being monitored via the Internet in real-time. Combining this technology with IBM's Smarter Cities expertise will enable intelligent, real-time decision-making allowing for services such as intelligent traffic management, route optimization, bus or train arrival prediction, and parking space management.
The Smarter Cities solutions from Deutsche Telekom and IBM will notably benefit municipalities as they deliver significant cost efficiencies through better use of their existing infrastructure and improved planning of resources. This will help cities more quickly design and deploy next-generation intelligence systems that improve sustainability. It will also improve the quality of life for citizens, who will be able to anticipate traffic delays and bus or train arrivals when travelling, find public parking spots more easily, and gain improved access to a wide array of relevant city information and services, for example
"M2M is a technology with enormous growth potential as it adds real value to our daily lives, both in business and privately," said Thomas Kiessling, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Deutsche Telekom.
"Our joint Smarter Cities initiative gives us the opportunity to work with cities across the globe and offer them valuable end-to-end solutions that help support public welfare as well as their economic growth in the future."
"Cities are asking their trusted providers to deliver new ways to help them become more innovative. This initiative demonstrates how IBM is working with clients and partners to find new and sustainable ways to solve pressing client challenges," said Dr. Michael J Dixon, general manager, IBM Global Smarter Cities.
The alliance is based on the two firms' strong common interest and complementary capabilities in growing the M2M end-to-end solutions market. As part of the collaboration, IBM will contribute its global smarter cities expertise, as well as deliver technology systems that gather real time data from various services, applications and device end points, enabling massive amounts of big data to be transformed into insight to help cities make the right operational decisions and drive long term plans. Deutsche Telekom, with a business presence in more than 50 countries worldwide and a well established global M2M ecosystem, will provide cities with pervasive M2M connectivity to these technologies and services, as well as SIM card access management and M2M solutions integration expertise.
To highlight the many potential ways this new technology can be applied, Deutsche Telekom and IBM will feature a variety of Smarter City demos in the GSMA Connected City Pavilion (Hall 3, Stand 3B) at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, February 25-28. The Intelligent Transport and Smarter Parking demos will showcase how data collected from roads, buses and parking spots can be leveraged to predict traffic and bus arrival, anticipate delays and proactively coordinate resources to operate cities' transportation systems more effectively. Additional Smarter Cities solutions will be available in a number of areas including transportation, energy, water and public safety.


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Max UV Index7 High
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Temperature History9/29
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Pope: 'The Shadow of the Cross Gives Way to ... Hope of the Resurrection'
Benedict XVI highlights Psalm 22 in general audience on Sept. 14, the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross.
VATICAN CITY (EWTN News/CNA)—Pope Benedict XVI said Sept. 14 that Christians should continue to call upon God even in times of trial, when he may seem distant.
"The shadow of the cross gives way to the bright hope of the Resurrection," the Pope told pilgrims gathered in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall for his weekly audience.
"We too, when we call upon him in times of trial, must place our trust in the God who brings salvation, who conquers death with the gift of eternal life."
The Pope drew his observations from Psalm 22, which he described as "a heartfelt prayer of lamentation from one who feels abandoned by God."
The writer of the Psalm is "surrounded by enemies who are persecuting him," and so he "cries out by day and by night for help, and yet God seems to remain silent."
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" is the cry of the Psalmist to the Almighty.
Pope Benedict explained how the writer is despairing of the Lord rescuing him, even though "the people of Israel called trustingly upon the Lord in times of trial, and he answered their prayer," and in his own life "the Lord cared for him personally in his earlier life, as a child in his mother's womb, as an infant in his mother's arms."
"Despite such adverse circumstances, though," observed the Pope, "the Psalmist's faith and trust in the Lord remains." So much so that he "ends on a note of confidence, as God's name is praised before all the nations."
The Pope said this is also the attitude all Christians should learn to have in times of near despair.
The best example of this trust in God the Father, said the Pope, is Jesus Christ himself, who also utters the words of Psalm 22 as he hangs on the cross of Calvary.
"He too seems to have been abandoned to a cruel fate," noted the Pope, "while his enemies mock him, attacking him like ravenous and roaring lions, dividing his clothing among them as if he were already dead."
Yet in his passion on Good Friday, "in obedience the Father, the Lord Jesus, through abandonment and death, comes to give life, and give it to all believers."
Thus, by praying the "heartfelt and touching" Psalm 22, the individual Christian is brought to the foot of the cross of Christ, "to live out his passion and share the fruitful joy of the Resurrection."


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About this paper
When it comes to deposits, how can your bank balance demand for fast access to funds with the need to protect customers – and your business – from potential fraud? In this paper, learn how to use fraud analytics to evaluate each transaction swiftly and accurately; make better, faster decisions; and give honest customers the hassle-free process they expect.
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European Council is formed by the heads of state or government of every EU country, the Commission President and the European Council President, who chairs the meetings. The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part.
The meetings are essentially summits where EU leaders meet to decide on broad political priorities and major initiatives. Typically, there are around 4 meetings a year, chaired by a permanent president.
The role of the European Council is twofold – setting the EU's general political direction and priorities, and dealing with complex or sensitive issues that cannot be resolved at a lower level of intergovernmental cooperation.
Though influential in setting the EU political agenda, it has no powers to pass laws.
Herman Van Rompuy is the President of the European Council. His second term of office began on 1 June 2012 and runs until 30 November 2014.
The European Council decides by consensus, except if the Treaties provide otherwise. In some cases, it adopts decisions by unanimity or by qualified majority, depending on what the Treaty provides for.
Council of the EU
The Council of the European Union is also informally known as the EU Council, this is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies. The Council of the EU:
- Passes EU laws.
- Coordinates the broad economic policies of EU member countries.
- Signs agreements between the EU and other countries.
- Approves the annual EU budget
- Develops the EU's foreign and defence policies.
- Coordinates cooperation between courts and police forces of member countries.
The Council signs agreements on behalf of the EU – on subjects as diverse as the environment, trade, development, textiles, fisheries, science, technology and transport.
There are no fixed members as such. At each Council meeting, each country sends the minister for the policy field being discussed – e.g. the environment minister for the meeting dealing with environmental matters. That meeting will then be known as the "Environment Council".
All other Council meetings are chaired by the relevant minister of the country holding the rotating EU presidency.
For 2013 the member States in charge of the presidency are Ireland (January-June 2013) and Lithuania (July-December).


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Note: These reviews originally appeared in the Illinois Entertainer.
Also, on yesterday's post, I mentioned that members of the local bands The Hushdrops and The Chamber Strings will be performing under the name Candy Store Prophets at the Celebrate The Songs Of Boyce And Hart show at the Logan Theatre Lounge at 6:15 PM tonight, May 1st. I've since been informed that singer-guitarist Phil Angotti will also be part of the new-version Candy Store Prophets. (The name was originally used by Boyce and Hart's backup band in the 1960s.) Celebrate The Songs Of Boyce And Hart is part of CIMMfest No. 6, and will be followed by a showing of Rachel Lichtman's documentary Boyce And Hart: The Guys Who Wrote Em at 6:45 PM in the Logan Theatre.
Now, on to the reviews.
Singer-songwriter Jenny Franck unleashes a lot of raw emotions about troubled relationships on her full-length debut, Beautiful Lies. Working with bassist Mike Orr, drummer-guitarist-keyboards player Jaben Perrell, and a few guest musicians, she's at her most powerful on energetic, melodic songs like "I See You" and "Colorscreen." "I look inside myself/I'm full of nothing well," Franck sings on "Disease," a guitar-driven song with intriguing tempo shifts. A few of the slower songs have generic arrangements, but Franck's razor sharp observations keep them interesting.
Yankee is a deceptively nondescript name for a duo that yearns to crack people up with lyrics about condom use and mass murder. Humor is subjective, but there's no doubt that Josh V. and Caleb P. know how to craft catchy arrangements and airtight harmonies on their self-titled CD. After the throw-away noise of "Hey-Na-Na," Yankee connects with the rapid-fire rhymes of "Must Be." "Buddy," an indie rock lament about a party guest who keeps spilling and dropping things, could be the funniest track, depending on one's sense of humor.


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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Vijay Singh withdrew from the Phoenix Open on Thursday, a day after saying he used deer-antler spray and was "absolutely shocked" that it may contain a banned substance.
Singh cited a back injury in pulling out before the first round.
The 49-year-old Fijian first revealed he used the spray in an interview with Sports Illustrated. The magazine said Singh paid one of the owners of Sports With Alternatives To Steroids $9,000 last November for the spray, hologram chips and other products.
The magazine also reported Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis sought help from SWATS in his recovery from a torn right triceps. The company says its deer-antler substance contains a banned performance-enhancer connected to human growth hormone.
Singh said in a statement Wednesday that while he used deer-antler spray he was not aware he may have been violating the PGA Tour's anti-doping policy.
"In fact, when I first received the product, I reviewed the list of ingredients and did not see any prohibited substances," he said. "I am absolutely shocked that deer-antler spray may contain a banned substance and am angry that I have put myself in this position. I have been in contact with the PGA Tour and am cooperating fully with their review of this matter. I will not be commenting further at this time."
PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said the tour is "looking into the matter."
Singh won the last of his 34 PGA Tour titles in 2008. The three-time major champion also has 22 international victories. Early in his career, he was suspended from the Asian Tour for two years for altering his scorecard during a tournament in Indonesia.
Doug Barron is the only player to be suspended under the tour's anti-doping policy, missing part of 2009 and most of 2010. The one-year suspension was lifted in September 2010, and Barron was granted a therapeutic use exemption for low testosterone.


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Northumberland, New Hampshire
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Northumberland is a town in Coos county, New Hampshire. It was formed in 1761 and has gone by the following other name/s: Stonington. Its parent county/ies is/are Grafton. For more information, contact the county at 2 State St., Groveton 03582. On the attached map, Northumberland is shown as 18 in Coos.
For information about the state of New Hampshire see New Hampshire Family History Research.


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Saturday, March 10, 2007
The Impact of The New Media
The event was supposed to start with a half hour of discussion followed by drinks, but was far more civilised than that, starting with a half hour or so of drinks, followed by the discussion followed by more drinks, until they ran out when we all piled next door to the pub.
Stephan Shakespeare of 18 Doughty Street and YouGov fame kicked off.
He made a number of points. Now the BBC is allowing its content to go out on YouTube, it in effect allows itself to be undermined. Once it is there anyone can comment on it, and indeed use it to their own ends. Blogging it seems is undermining traditional media.
He then moved on to discuss how blogging would affect future elections. Apparently in a survey of young people they were asked if they had to give up one of the following 3 things, television, mobile phone or Internet which would it be. Overwhelmingly it is the television. It seems clear that the new media is going to grow and grow.
Interestingly, whilst blogs allow anyone to have a voice, that is not quite the case with places like Conservative Home, or 18 Doughty Street, both of which, in Stephan's view allow people just below the existing establishment to have a voice. It does still widen the political discourse though.
Stephan also feels that this will see the audience fracturing. After all there will be much more choice and many more providers. That being the case the big providers now will lose audiences to various Internet sources. This, Stephan felt would lead to a fracturing of politics as well.
I agree with a lot of what Stephan said, but am not convinced that political parties will fracture because there is a lot of advantages to the big coalitions that political parties are.
Fraser Nelson of the Spectator spoke next. he felt like a beta max salesman addressing a VHS conference!
Blogs it seems have shaken the dead tree press. For example Recess Monkey posted this story on Monday just after midnight alleging Margaret Thatcher was dead. Now that had many on the blogosphere running around in a blind panic trying to find out if there was any truth to it. What I didn't realise but Fraser told us, was that it had the same effect on fleet street with panicked journalists ringing around trying to find confirmation. When Margaret's team switched their mobiles on in the morning their answering service was full of messages asking if she was dead. Of course Recess Monkey was the victim of a hoax, and published a not very complimentary retraction here.
Fraser also highlighted the fact that the blogosphere is littered with the blogs of dead tree journalists which are going nowhere. It seems they just don't get how and why blogs work.
It seems that the new media is taken more seriously by politicians, or at least team Cameron. The Cameroonians believe that new media gives more direct access to people and are less concerned with the dead tree press and MSM. New Labour on the other hand are still in thrall to Fleet Street.
Tim Worstall made a couple of interesting points. If blogs destroy the establishment they will become it. However Tim thinks that bloggers will infiltrate the media, by being invited to write for it! (note to editors, if you want to to write an article for you, all you have to do is use the Email Me link on the right, and let me know how much you will pay :) ) So Fleet street will not be packing its bags and going away.
Bruce Anderson was also there, and piped up with a few interesting and amusing observations. He believes that the DTP and MSM have lost their monopoly. Blogging should make the MSM do better and keep it on its toes.
Bruce also had some amusing observations on the spectator. Apparently Boris Johnson was a lightweight editor, but under Matthew d'Ancona the editing is leaden.
Apparently, according to Bruce, the Spectator oscillates from tedium to sycophancy. I don't think Bruce is Matthew d'Ancona's biggest fan, but I may be wrong.
During the questions session afterwards someone who seemed to be from the DTP popped up to ask how bloggers intend to make money from their blogs? With things like pay per article? I popped up to say I don't think most bloggers care. It is true if a blogger gets a lot of traffic they might sell advertising, but that is no why we blog.
Afterwards I had a few conversations with people. One such was with Nicholas Jones, a journalist formerly of the BBC for some 30 years. He was expressing some concern over the way the Murdoch empire is looking to set the news agenda both for the MSM and the blogosphere by buying up big stories like the Jane Goody interview and the cockpit video of that friendly fire incident. His concern was that this arm of the media is unregulated. If they get their websites together and he feels they will then they could be more influential at the next election.
There is some truth is this view. After all we also had the Guardian breaking that police 'brutality' story on Wednesday via Newsnight. In many ways news papers who have been eclipsed by both TV and radio are now hitting back with websites with multimedia content.
That said I am not quite sure how much of a problem this is. After all we have blogs like Guido's and Iain Dale's setting the agenda as well. In many ways I can only see the power of blogs increase and whilst Murdoch's empire may grow at the expense of his rivals the market place for news and opinion is now forever changed by blogs.
I mentioned some of the bloggers I met at the event in this article here, but others I met include Andrew Dodge, Perry de Havilland of samizdata.net, and Philip Chaston of the bewilderness blog.
14 comments:
Although I am getting on in years and have only recently been introduced to broad band I understand what you are getting at.
The Government cannot 'get it' but Cameron does. Thank goodness for that!!!
- 8:43 pm, March 10, 2007
- Welshcakes Limoncello said...
Fascinating post. What a cicilised symposium - starting with drinks and continuing with, well, drinks! I think blogs have shaken the msm - otherwise why would online newspapers be using blogging journalists themselves? - and it's good to know that their journalists were running here, there and everywhere trying to verify the Thatcher story as well. Could it possibly come about that developments like blogging, which give everyone the chance to have their say, may eventually deprive terrorists of one of their excuses - ie., that they have no access to the mass media??
- 8:52 pm, March 10, 2007
The blog is an extension of the person who's blog it is ,very individualised ,s/he's the editor ,s/he set's the commentry some are good ,some are better,I can't see how the dead tree press come into it,the blogger can change his post in seconds but the dead tree press can't ,neither can tv,as a commentator I can input ideas ,have a good rant ,a good joke ,even swear (I don't),if nobody agree's with me I am soon told ,as they say it's interactive ,if politician's read blogs then they know what the public are thinking ,so maybe we will get a democracy back ,but I don't think so.
Just keep writing and I will read.
- 9:15 pm, March 10, 2007
- Benedict White said...
Conservative and Proud, I am pleased you're pleased :)
Welshcakes, Interesting comments on terrorism. I have to wonder because the net is seen as a way of recruiting and radicalising them however if it gives others a voice maybe that will temper things?
Anonymous, Yes that is the way it works. Instant and interactive. That said you can run into problems just reading blogs and the like because the miffed shout loudest.
It is a great platform though.
- 9:30 pm, March 10, 2007
I was surprised there were so many "old media" there, I guess to repor on the event, though I didn't see a write up in The Spectator, unless I missed it. I did enjoy meeting Stephan, Fraser, Tim Worstall and lots of others too, including your good self.
- 11:25 pm, March 10, 2007
Good post spoiled by using bollocks like MSM and DTP. This crap wouldn't be tolerated on Radio 4 so don't use it here. DTP could mean Desk Top Publishing for fuck's sake. Childish.
- 11:34 pm, March 10, 2007
Benedict - I have occasionally been asked why i don't have a blog and the simple answer is I wouldn't know where to begin. I assume from the number around that it isn't difficult.
But where exactly do I begin?
- 10:43 am, March 11, 2007
- Benedict White said...
Peter the easiest way would be to get some one with gmail account to send you an invite, then get a gmail account, extend it to a blogger account and take it from there.
Do you want an invite? If so email me.
- 10:46 am, March 11, 2007
Symposium originally referred to a drinking party (the Greek verb sympotein means "to drink together").
- 11:50 am, March 11, 2007
- James Higham said...
...far more civilised than that, starting with a half hour or so of drinks, followed by the discussion followed by more drinks, until they ran out when we all piled next door to the pub...
This is a very important point you've made in your post. The need for applied alcohol. Your points on blogging were also to the point.
- 12:06 pm, March 11, 2007
Benedict - Thanks for that.
Yes I'd like that, but not right now. It's hard for me to think of anything but next week's Festival at the moment.
I am sure you understand.
- 12:23 pm, March 11, 2007
- Benedict White said...
Anonymous at 11:34 March 10th, Sorry about that, I had used the term Dead Tree Press all over the place, and DTP is just short for that, MSM is short for main stream media which is TV and the DTP. Sorry for the jargon.
Fr, I am pleased we had a "symposium" :)
James, Thanks for that. It was a very civilised event!
Peter, email me when you want a hand.
- 1:54 pm, March 11, 2007
- Unknown said...
Did Clinton fire her first shot?
This is from the NY Times on Al Gore. Looks like he is preparing to run for president and the Clinton camp is worried.
From a Rapt Audience, a Call to Cool the Hype
- 4:19 am, March 13, 2007
- Benedict White said...
Zoom, there appears to be no link.
- 9:55 am, March 13, 2007